A mobile kiosk for Garden Rail

 

Some time ago, I was looking at the IP Engineering stand and especially Tallyllyn No7, and thought it would be fun to build it as a mobile kiosk for selling Garden Rail. My plan is that it would sit at the end of the siding on my "Layout in a day" at the National Garden Railway Show, providing some more branded goodness for people to enjoy, and hopefully, photograph. 

I suspect that the pandemic then got in the way, but with the show hoving into view next month, I've pulled the kit of the shelf for, what I hope, is a speedy build. 

As with all IP kits, the parts are mainly laser-cut plywood. There's also some other stuff that's a sort of high-quality card, also cut, a sheet of acrylic and whitemetal axleboxes and buffers. Some 32mm gauge wheels will also be part of the package, but they are packed seperatly and I can't find them right now. Not that it matters, I'm sure I have others and it's not like this thing needs to roll anyway as I'll be modelling it with the canopy sides open. 

As with the other Garden Rail branded models I've built, livery will be white with home made transfer decoration. I'll need to make some miniature magazines too - but that's easy 'cos I have the files for all the covers!

Get your desert off my lifeboat!

 

I was really pleased with the way my pair of lifeboats looked at the boat club RNLI day a couple of weeks ago. Sadly, although the day dawned bright and sunny, we were treated to a few showers later on. Most people decided the rain wasn't that heavy and so left their boats out rather than scrambling to hide them away. 

Like the rest of my fellow micro-sailors, I reasoned that the models are waterproof, so I might as well stay in the dry. 

What I hadn't reckoned on, was the mess that would be left. 

How mucky is this? I should have realsied as my car usually looks like this after a shower - I believe it is dust from the Sahara Desert that has been carried up into the clouds, and drops back down, all over my boat. Grrr.

So, my plan to drop the models back off in storage on the way back home was thwarted. Instead, each model had to spend time on the draining board as I washed the muck away as carefully as I could. A stiff brush, some washing up liquid and lots of clean water were required. I'd expected it to be easier than it was, that dust sticks!

Media Modelling show

I've visited Hanslope Village Hall a few times - normally for the Smallspace Sci-fi modelling event. Spotting that there was something called "Media Modelling" taking place at the same venue, about 45 minutes away, and with a free Sunday, I decided to give it a go. 

When I arrived, it was obviously smaller than Smallspace, cars in the car park and no Daleks for a start! Still, for a couple of quid entry fee, I wasn't worried. 

Inside, there weren't many people. It seems that the advertising might have brought me in, but I was one of the few. Worse, there wasn't actually that much to see. Five tables of models and six selling kits plus a tool stall. Compared to Smallspace, that's a bit thin. 

What there was, was excellent. The models were superb. I'd seen Ian Chrichton's Steampunk modelling before, but there were a couple of displays new to me, and the rest are well worth a re-examination. 

For two quid, I can't complain. I did manage tobuy myself a kit, which will appear on here in due course. As you might expect, it's a bit mad!

More photos from Media Modelling on Flickr.

Saturday Film Club: Unboxing a bargain?

 The interweb loves and unboxing video, so I open a box. But have I bagged a bargain?

R253 Dock Shunter

 

Digging on my hard drive for a random photo to entertain you today, I found this Tri-ang Dock shunter in the attractive yellow livery. You can read about the refurbishment of this little loco back in 2020. 

I was recently photographing an S Gauge layout, and found an example in the fiddle yard. 

With the addition of some ingenious wheels, it now performs the role of track tester so the "proper" locos are spared the job. After all, if this derails, it's not going to hurt it.

Track clamping progress

For the editor of Garden Rail, I'm pretty hopeless at getting my own tiny garden line working, and more importantly keeping it working. 

However, there has been some progress. Our aim is to put track clamps on all the joints, with ease of maintainence in mind. To this end, the curve nearest the house has been lifted, old ballast cleared away and a new slate wall built to keep the plants and earth back. 

It looks pretty, but now we've come to relay the station, the two halves of the oval don't line up. It seems that fishplates allow for bodgery that track clamps don't, and so it's time to have another look at the geometry. I think AnyRail will be coming to my rescue...

At least next doors cat is being kept amused!

Warehouse Wednesday: Tin Tabernacle

On my recent trip to Avoncroft Building Museum, I took the opportunity to snap this Tin Tabernacle from nearly all angles. I'm sure the photos will be useful one day, if not to me, to someone reading this blog.

 

 

 Maybe it's (nearly) time to have another go at the Wills kit for this type of building?

American yards

 

Fulton Terminal, spotted at Bristol a few weeks ago, is an interesting model. And one I'd love to do a proper photo shoot on, but you can't really feature an American layout in British Railway Modelling!*

Taking to the owner, it seems that there were several rail yard in New York - each of which was unconnected to the rest of the system. They existed simply to move "reefers" between boats and warehouses. All goods went in and out by ship. 

The locos would also be moved afloat, but otherwise weren't allowed near the barges the rolling stock travelled on. Not because of their weight, a loaded freight car being heavier than a loco, but because they would upset the balance of the barge when moving on. For shunting, reach cars were provided so the loco stayed on dry land. 

Quite how you got a loco on board to take it to the work, is a mystery, but I guess some stock at one end to act as a counterblance would do the job. It wasn't a daily occurance, so a special shunt would be in order. 

Fascinating. 

*Don't try the "Good modelling is good modelling" line. Some people go nuts if there is too much of any era in an issue. They would lose it completly if we tried to put Johnny Foreigners trains on the page.

Best of Brede?

If you read back through my Brede build thread, you'll know that while this might be my favourite lifeboat design, building a model of it has proved very tricky. A failed kit, failed scratchbuild in wood and only with a magazine deadline threatening, did I manage to finish a model. 

Well, nearly, it still needs some detail. 

It's only the magazine publication that saw the model finished in the first place instead of becoming more bin filler. At the time I knew the hull still wasn't the right shape - it should be more bulbous at the front - but I couldn't give up this time and just had to press on no matter what. (Welcome to the joys of modelling commercially). 

Because of this, the boat hasn't really seen much use. The last time I planned to take it out was back in 2015, and I'm pretty sure it never left the box on that lifeboat day. 

Now though, I've given it a good sail. For the best part of an hour, it's pootled around our lake in the company of other orange brothers. When the "best boat on the water" judging was taking place, the Brede was my choice for a sail. OK, I didn't build the Trent (the other option) so it would have been wrong to put it out there then, but I wanted to show off the Brede. 

Somehow, I've become accustomed to the faults. They don't shout at me as much as they used to. Time appears to have mellowed me. 

It helps that the boat performed perfectly all day, but I think on the water, from several feet away, I can just enjoy it. From most angles it looks pretty good. 

Real modellers would say it should be destroyed and another built in an attempt to attain perfection, but they can get stuffed. It's my boat, and I've decided (finally) that I like it. 

Has anyone else had something like this happen? Putting a model away and returning with fresh eyes, to decide that there aren't as many faults as you thought? Or does this make me a bad/lazy person?

KMBC Lifeboat Day 2022

Last Sunday dawned sunny, but with the threat of rain later. Never mind, I was determined to attend our boat clubs' annual RNLI day, and just as importantly, sail a boat or two. If nothing else, I really needed a day away from trains...

The good news is that both my Trent and Brede lifeboats performed impecably. All the more surprising when you remember that the Trent has never been on the water in my ownership, and the Brede hasn't got it's hull wet in over five years. 

At the peak, we had 13 boats on the water, and everyone, both members and visitors, seemed to have a good time. I picked up an interesting book on lifeboat development with plans of all the vessels up to the 1970s, very handy for identifying models in the future. The cake wasn't bad either.

I could ramble on, but you'd probably prefer some photos, and here they are over on Flickr.

Saturday Film Club: Caroline Railtour

Last week, I took a tour, courtesy of Revolution Trains, on "Caroline", the inspection saloon. While there, I thought I better earn my keep and put together a little film. Interviewing ex-BBC correspondent Ben Ando, was a little nerve-wraking, but it seems to have come out OK. 

The trouble with days like this, is that having enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I couldn't resist ordering the model from Rainbow Railways. If you could all start clicking on the adverts found on the right hand side of this blog, it would help dull the pain of the price a little! (It's not expensive for what you get, but as Ben says, this isn't a cheap model).

Wuiske Models bag

 

My Betties bag collection is growing into a more general model shop bag collection. The latest addition is this cloth bag from Wuiske Models in Queensland, Australia. 

I met John Sheldrake on a tour last week. We were riding on the observation coach "Caroline" and he'd brought some fascinating tickets and this bag with him. For a donation to the cancer charity, the bag became mine. 

John had travelled to the UK mainly for this once-in-a-lifetime tour, a perfect example of getting into model railways and seeing the world. I'm no great traveller, but I've managed both Australia and Canada because of my interest, not to mention many, many interesting places in the UK. 

I don't know Queensland, but thanks to Google Streetview, I've spent a few minutes touring Jandowae, even if I can't find the model shop! It certainly looks like the rural Australia I imagine which is facinating. 

Anyway, thanks John. Definitely a rare addition to the pile!

Recycling an old layout in BRM

What do you do with an old model railway? You rebuild it of course. 

Starting with "Casket Yard", the layout built to fit in a plastic box a couple of years ago, I've totally changed its look from a country yard, to an urban shunting puzzle. This month, I'm ripping things up and starting on the rebuild, next time, the job will be finished. 

My latest photo shoot is of Paul Moss's "Little Salkeld" - an N gauge layout set in a Cumbrian village. It's always interesting to see how these photos look on the page, and I'm very happy. More to the point, so is Paul. 

Digital readers have a photo gallery of the unused shots - I always take far too many so the editorial team can chose the ones that they like best. 

Over on BRM TV, you have a Phil double-bill. 

 and then I look at operating an Inglenook layout, with my new project!

All this in the June issue of BRM.

Warehouse Wednesday: Prefab bungalow

A recent research trip to Avoncroft Building Museum gave me the chance to grab a few photos of what I think is the most interesting building there - the prefab bungalow. I appreciate this is a controversial view, but all the medieval buildings don't do much for me on their own. This one has life, and I can imagine living in it.

Mind you, I was as interested in the garden shed. You don't see things like this much now, but once they were everywhere. And yes, it IS ugly.

Entering the Red Room

 

While at Shepton Mallet a few weeks ago, I found myself with time to nip along to the Haynes Motor Museum. As a regular reader of the manuals that paid for the place, I was curious to see what it looked like. 

One highlight, is the "Red Room". It seems Mr Haynes thought that if all the cars on display in one place were the same hue, it would be easier to appreciate the designs because you wouldn't be distracted by all the different colours. 

 

 

I'm not convinced by this. For a start, all the reds are different. However, it's his collection and you can't disagree - the effect of all these pristine motors in one space is impressive. 

 

 

And yes, I am aware that for readers of Fifty Shades of Grey, "Red room" has a different meaning...

Agricultural show ticket

 

I've been busy recently, so posts are going to be a bit random until I can get back into a project. Let's start with this ticket picked up at the same time as the GWR string. 

The show in question is the event that eventually became known as "The Royal Show". It was the country's premier agricultural event from 1839 to 2009. 

Now, I know the event because every year, the traffic to it would clog up all the roads around here as conoys of Range Rovers and horse boxes tried to get onto the Stoneleigh Park site. I even worked there a couple of times when employed by the Ministry of Agriculture. Based in a scruffy Portakabin, I did paperwork stuff in the less fashionable, and much smellier part of the event. 

I think I visited a couple of times, but as a trade show for farmers, and not being in the market for a combine harvester, it didn't grab me as much as the public focussed Town & Country Festival at the August bank holiday. 

Anyway, this ticket interested me because it was for a local event, but also because for many years the show travelled around the country. As it happened, 1931 was Warwick's turn to host it - and then it returned permenantly to the county from 1963. 

What we don't know is why Mr Hall needed to attend the event, although at the time there would be a large amount of livestock moved by rail. Maybe he was checking animals in and out then back to the railhead. Perhaps looking at new methods of livestock handling. We'll never know, but 91 years later, his ticket still exists.

Lifeboat day today

 

All being well, today will be spent at the KMBC Lifeboat day. This year, I'm keen to actually get something on the water, and to that end have dug out the large scale Trent lifeboat I aquired in an estate sale a couple of yeats ago. 

One worry, is that the transmitter says "40Mgz". Visions of trying to find pegs for the aerial so I don't clash. I'm not even sure we still have a peg board for this any more!

Looking at the reviever, that looks like a 2.4MHz device, and so do the aerials on the transmitter. By the look of it, this had been converted to the more modern system. I certainly hope so!

(And yes, I will dust it before use)

Saturday Film Club: Sutton Park Miniature Railway

Spotting a post on Facebook: 

Did you know that Vintage Trains are now the custodians of the Sutton Miniature Railway?

We have ambitious and exciting plans to reinstate and run this famous fifteen-inch gauge railway on our site in Tyseley as a fully volunteer lead initiative.

We will shortly be announcing a fundraising campaign for £25,000 to kickstart the first phase of bringing this wonderful little railway back to life in the heart of Birmingham.

 

I was prompted to look on YoutTube for some footage, and found this lovely film.  Let's hope Vintage Trains are succesful.

 

Beatties paper bags

 

Another excellent addition to the Beatties collection - three paper bags thanks to Ian on RMweb who spotted I was a bit of a fan and decided to clear out a cupboard. 

These are the first paper bags in the collection, all the others being plastic. From the typeface, I'd date them as 1960s, so one of my earlier exhibits too. I love the "Pastimes" gets to be a bullet point but am curious who decided it should be above trains and boats - surely those would be the bigger sellers?

Garden Rail June

 

Is this real, or is this a model? That's the question you'll be asking when looking at the amazing Dyfrdwy Tramway built by James Hilton. The superb modelmaking is accompanied by an imaginative history that explains the line.

Practical articles cover checking a model steam locomotive to ensure it's safe to operate, building a transporter wagon complete with load, a sugar cane wagon and a trick to ensure your trains stay on the track.

Talking of track, if you have ever looked at old photos of narrow gauge lines with the rails just poking through the undergrowth and wondered how to model this, our green-fingered expert has all the details.

All this and more in the June issue of Garden Rail.

Warehouse Wednesday: Giant platelayers hut

Another spot from the East Somerset Railway, the biggest platelayers hut I have ever seen. 

I'm assuming it is original. No-one would build such a hut and then abandon it would they? 

This begs the question why? It's opposite the station so were there a larger number of platelayers to be concealed from the travelling public? 

As a modelling prospect it would be bashable from a Cooper Craft kit, but really an easy scratchbuild. Sides from Plastikard with Microstrip battens and masking tape roofing felt. The brick chimney, which must have left one end of the hut a bit cold, is another Plastikard job with a bit of tube for the pot. 

On a layout, it would certainly be different.

A little mine

While poking my camera around at Bristol, I took this photo of the small mine on Karolina Falls. It's tucked around the side and so if the layout isn't displayed on a corner site, you won't see it. 

I don't actually have a use for the photo, but I like the scene so much, I'll share it on here. 

The layout is 7mm scale and most of it runs on 165mm gauge track. This bit is narrower, I didn't measure but I think 12mm, and entirely seperate. The builder assures me it will work, but there's not much point if the public can't see it!

What we have is a rather nice, and extreemly compact, layout in its own right. Perhaps a bit of inspiration for someone? 

(Click on the photo for a bigger version on Flickr)

Cooper Craft Provendor Wagon

 

I really like Cooper Craft kits, but I don't have one of their last models in my collection. The Provender Wagon is a bit of an odd beast. Not that useful to anyone and pretty much useless to me, but when I spotted an example for a fiver on a trade stand, I thought it was time to give it a go. 

Tired from Bristol show last Monday, I fancied some relaxing evening wagon building. Sticking a kit together is normally fun with a sense of achievement for not too much effort. 

Reading the instructions, I should have been warned by the phrase:

Sometimes the floors may mould a little wide, check yours for a good fit in the "box structure". 

On reading this, I should have put the kit back in the bag and left it for when my brain was more alert, but no, I pressed on. 

Breaking a tie rod wasn't an great start, but I fixed it with some Microstrip and decided you couldn't tell from the viewing side. Brass bearings dropped in and I found a set of Hornby wheels. The sides weren't perfectly upright - plain rather than top hat bearings would probably have been a better choice, with a side order of drilling the axleboxes out a bit. 

More anoyingly, the solebars are longer than the floor. Sometimes this allows them to tuck inside the ends, but no, on this kit they needed to be flush. 

Again, I should have stopped work, but instead I tried to trim them and the parts promptly started to move because they weren't as fixed as they should have been, 

By this point, the thing was anoying me and I lost my rag, peeling the components apart. They might not have stuck well enough for trimming, but they hung on to each other rather than seperate. The result was not pretty. I rescued the bearings and threw the remains in the bin. 

Out of curiosity, I had a go at the body. As promised, the floor was just over 0.5mm too wide, but rubbing it on a sanding stick cured this. 

After modification, the body went together OK. The corners aren't bad, even though they are straight from the bag with no fettling. 

So, the lessons to be learned:

• If I am tired, watch TV and get some sleep. Don't try and make anything that needs brain work. 
• This kit needs to be built body first. Then the chassis can be trimmed to fit. 
• Use plain bearings so the underframe is square. 

One day I'll find another example of this kit and give it another go. It's a long way from Cooper Craft's best models, but I'm sure that an on-the-ball Phil wouldn't be beaten by it.

Bristol 2022

 Last weekend, I spent three whole days at the Bristol show. 

I was very, very busy. Seven layout shoots, a Facebook live walkaround (see above) and a promotional video filmed and edited so it could be released on Saturday morning.

That first day, where the show opens at 12:30, closing at 7pm, is an odd, and very long day. I don't think I've ever attended an event that actually opens on Friday. There were plenty of people who prefered the day though, and the hall was pleasently busy. 

Cake news is that unlike most leisure centres, Bristol can put on a decent spread. The Victoria sponge is the best I've ever eaten. It was followed on Saturday by Vegan Lemon cake, which was OK, and Sunday's Lemon drizzle which was much better. 

They also served up a good hot dog. Handy, when the hotel breakfast isn't until 8 and I wanted to be in the hall by then taking photos. These proved really popular with those inside the barriers - at least a dozen being seen to be sold on Sunday, and I'm sure there were plenty more. 

Layouts ad trade were excellent. I could happily have picked up a couple more shoots if I'd had the time, and that's only because we'd already photographed several layouts for the mag in the past. 

The only downside of being so busy, is that I didn't bag many photos for the blog. However, if you want more, I suggest watching Callum's excellent video which provides comprehensive coverage.

Saturday Film Club: Recovering Teletext from VHS Tapes

This video is nerdy, even for me. However, I loved Ceefx and Oracle - they were an exciting addition to a TV, and I still think one of the best news delivery systems ever. While the TV news tends to prioritise storeis where they have good pictures, Ceefax put everything in order of importance. 

I also miss page 145 - the letters page. Each day a new selection of (mostly) loons spouting off about something. Yes, I know the web is full of this, but here we enjoyed a tiny, curated set each day. You could read, enjoy, and then go away to do something useful. 

Anyway, it's good that someone appreciates how important this archive information is, and makes efforts to recover it for posterity.

Vintage light sets

 

Picked up for a tiny donation, these lighting sets are being stashed away in case I need to restore something, rather than for serious use on a modern layout. 

Each one contains a length of wire, and four small lightbulbs and screw-in holders. Without opening a set, the falament bulbs globes appear to be 6mm diameter. If you fancy adding a shade, there is a pattern printed on the card.

JNT Products are another new company to me. I can find JNT Model Products, who were incorporated in 1970, about the right time, looking at the packing. They have since been disolved so no more. 

Nowadays, we'd use LEDs for lighting a model. They last forever, use tiny amounts of current and generate no heat. Since you aren't likely to need to change them, lights can be built into buildings etc. 

At Pendon, because the Vale scene started life so long ago, the builders incorporate light tubes (coridors made to cardboard to duct the light around) into their models so the bulbs can remain below the baseboard for changing and to keep the heat away from the cardboard structure. 

Many people arge that everything old is better than anything new, but I'm afraid swapping filament bulbs for LEDs is definitly an improvment!

Improved Coffee Pots

 

A couple of years ago, I managed to bag a "Coffee Pot" railcar in On30. This is a model I'd fancied for some time, but was put off by the plasticy coach body. It's remained in the maturing pile since then, but at the weekend I spotted some that had been improved for inspiration. 

David Bailey, builder of the excellent "Karolina Falls" layout, kindly allowed me to take photographs of his models. Modestly, he tells me that the work simply entailed painting the lower sides blue or green, and the roof a nice shade of grey. The rest of the model stays the same. 

Despite the simplicty of the work, the results transform the base model. Impressive!

Warehouse Wednesday: Taunton water tower

Standing in the middle of some modern canalside apartment blocks is this throwback to the age of steam. Nearly opposite the station, it used to stand proud looking over a freight marshalling yard. 

The much faded paintwork proclaims "British Railways Taunton Freight Concentration Depot". 

I've not been able to find out much online about this depot. Doubtless if my book collection covered the area, there would be much to tell, but if it's not scruffy and industrial, I didn't buy that volume. 

Wonderful as this building is, what can anyone do with it? I understand that there were once plans to turn it into a restaurant, but these appear to have fallen through. As a restoration project, it would be a challenge, the place has obviously stood derelict for many years. 

Enthusiasts would shout for it to be restored, but what next? I doubt there is a need for a water tower in the area now, so it would just be a "thing". 

Another question would be what to do with the tank. Repainting is probably the best option, but that "ghost sign" has an appeal all of its own.